CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.
FRANK ASKS LEAVE TO GO.
"Yes," said Lady Gowan sadly, after her meeting with her son, "it isterrible; but after all my teaching, telling you of your duty to beloyal to those whom we serve and who have been such friends to us, Icould not nerve myself to tell you the dreadful truth. You are right,my boy. More than ever now we are out of place here; we must go."
"Yes, mother," said the boy gravely, "we must go."
"Let me read the letter, Frank."
"Read it, mother? I have repeated every word. It wanted no learning.I knew it when I had read it once."
"Yes; but I must read your father's letter to you myself."
"How could I keep it?" he said, almost fiercely. "I expected to bearrested and searched. It is burned."
Lady Gowan uttered a weary sigh, and clung to her boy's hand.
"Going, dear?" she said; "so soon?"
"Yes, mother; I have so much to do. I can't stay now. Perhaps I shallbe a prisoner again after this business, and coming back here protectedby a riotous crowd."
"No, no, dear; the Prince, however stern his father may be, is just, andhe will not punish you."
"I don't know," said the boy drearily. "I want to do something before Iam stopped;" and he hurried away, looking older and more careworn thanever, to go at once to the officers' quarters, intending to see CaptainMurray; but the first person he met was the doctor, who caught him bythe arm, and almost dragged him into his room.
"Sit down there," he cried sharply, as he scanned the boy with hissearching gaze.
"Don't stop me, sir, please," said Frank appealingly. "I am very busy.Do you want me?"
"No; but you look as if you want me."
"No, sir--no."
"But I say you do. Don't contradict me. Think I don't know what I'msaying? You do want me. A boy of your years has no business to looklike that. What have you been doing? Why, your pulse is gallopingnineteen to the dozen, and your head's as hot as fire. You've beeneating too much, you voracious young wolf. It's liver and bile. Allright, my fine fellow! Pill hydrarg, to-night, and to-morrow morning adelicious goblet before breakfast--sulph mag, tinct sennae, dittocalumba. That will set you right."
Frank looked at him for a moment piteously, and then burst into astrange laugh.
"Eh, hallo!" cried the doctor; "don't laugh in that maniacal way, boy.Have I got hold of the pig by the wrong tail? Bah! I mean the wrongtail by the pig. Nonsense! nonsense! I mean the wrong pig by--Oh, Isee now. Why, Frank, my boy, of course. Ah, poor lad! poor lad!Murray has been telling me. Well, it's a bad job, and I shouldn't havethought it of Rob Gowan. But there, I don't know: _humanum est errare_.Not so much erroring in it either. Circumstances alter cases, and Idare say that if I were kicked out of the army, and I had a chance to bemade chief surgeon to the forces of you know whom, I should accept thepost."
The boy's head sank down upon his hands, and he did not seem to hear thedoctor's words.
"Poor lad!" he continued; "it's a very sad affair, and I'm very sorryfor you. I always liked your father, and I never disliked you, which issaying a deal, for I hate boys as a rule. Confounded young monkeys, andno good whatever, except to get into mischief. There, I see now--oughtto have seen it with half an eye. There, there, there, my lad; don'ttake on about it. Cheer up! You're amongst friends who like you, andthe sun will come out again, even if it does get behind the black cloudssometimes."
He patted the boy's shoulder, and stroked his back, meaning, oldbachelor as he was, to be very tender and fatherly; but it was clumsilydone, for the doctor had never served his time to playing at beingfather, and begun by practising on babies. Hence he only irritated theboy.
"He talks to me and pats me as if I were a dog," said Frank to himself;and he would have manifested his annoyance in some way to one who wasdoing his best, when fortunately there was a sharp rap at the door, anda familiar voice cried:
"May I come in, doctor?"
"No, sir, no. I'm particularly engaged. Oh, it's you, Murray!--Mindhis coming in, Gowan?"
"Oh no; I want to see him!" cried the boy, springing up.
"Come in!" shouted the doctor.
"You here, Frank?" said the captain, holding out his hands, in which theboy sadly placed his own, but withdrew them quickly.
"Yes, of course he is," said the doctor testily. "Came to see hisfriends. In trouble, and wants comforting."
"Yes," said Captain Murray quietly, as he laid his hand upon the boy'sshoulder. "Then you know the truth now, Frank?"
"Yes, sir," said the boy humbly. "I was coming to apologise to you,when the doctor met me and drew me in here."
"Yes; looked so ill. Thought I'd got a job to tinker him up; but heonly wants a bit of comforting, to show him he's amongst friends."
"You were coming to do what, boy?" said the captain, as soon as he couldget in a word,--"apologise?"
"Yes, sir; I was very obstinate and rude to you."
"Yes, thank goodness, my lad!" cried the captain, holding the boy byboth shoulders now, as he hung his head. "Look up. Apologise! Why,Frank, you made me feel very proud of my old friend's son. I alwaysliked you, boy; but never half so well as when you spoke out as you didto the Prince. So you know all now?"
"Yes," said the boy bitterly.
"How?"
"My father has written to me telling me it is true."
"Hah! Well, it's a bad job, my lad; but we will not judge him. RobertGowan must have suffered bitterly, and been in despair of ever comingback, before he changed his colours. But we can't see why, and howthings are. I want no apology, Frank, only for you to come to me asyour father's old friend."
Frank looked at him wonderingly.
"Come with me, boy."
Frank looked at him still, but his eyes were wistful now and full ofquestion.
"I want you to come with me to the Prince."
"Yes, sir," said Frank gravely. "I want to beg for an audience before Igo."
"Before you go, Frank?"
"Yes, sir. Of course we cannot stay here now."
"Humph! Ah, yes, I see what you mean," said the captain quietly."Well, come. You are half a soldier, Frank, and the Prince is asoldier, I want you to come and speak out to him, and apologise as youdid to me--like a man."
"Yes, sir," replied Frank, "that is what I wished to do."
"Then forward!" cried the captain. "Let's make our charge, even if weare repulsed."
"Good-bye, and thank you, doctor," said Frank.
"What for? Pooh! nonsense, my lad; that's all right. And, I say,people generally come and see me when they want something, physic orplasters, or to have bullet holes stopped up, or arms and legs sewn onagain. Don't you wait for anything of that sort, boy; you comesometimes for a friendly bit of chat."
Frank smiled gratefully, but shook his head as he followed CaptainMurray out into the stable-yard.
"Come along, Frank; there's nothing like making a bold advance, andgetting a trouble over. We may not be able to get an audience with somany officers coming and going; but I'll send in my name."
Frank followed him into the anteroom, the place looking strange to him,and seeming as if it were a year since he had been there last, a fancyassisted by the fact that some five-and-twenty officers, whose faceswere strange, stood waiting their turns when Captain Murray sent in hisname by a gentleman in attendance.
But, bad as the prospect looked, they did not have long to wait, for, atthe end of about a quarter of an hour, the attendant came out, passingover all those who looked up eagerly ready to answer to their names, andwalked to where Captain Murray was seated talking in a low voice toFrank.
"His Royal Highness will see you at once, gentlemen."
Frank did not feel in the slightest degree nervous as he entered, butfollowed the captain with his head erect, ready to speak out and saythat for which he had come, when the Prince condescended to hear; but hetook no notice of the boy at first, raising
his head at last from hiswriting, and saying:
"Well, Captain Murray, what news?"
"None, your Royal Highness," said the soldier bluffly. "I have onlycome to bring Frank Gowan, your page, before you."
"Eh? Oh yes. The boy who was so impudent, and told me I was no speakerof the truth."
"I beg your Royal Highness's pardon."
"And you ought, boy. What more have you to say?"
"That I was wrong, sir. I believed it could not be true. I have foundout since that it was as you said."
"Hah! You ought always to believe what a royal personage says--eh,Murray?"
The captain bowed, and smiled grimly.
"Don't agree with me," said the Prince sharply. "Well, boy, you arevery sorry, eh?"
"Yes, your Royal Highness, I am very sorry," said Frank firmly. "I knowbetter now, and I apologise to you."
The Prince, moving himself round in his chair, frowning to hide afeeling of amusement, stared hard at the lad as if to look him down, andfrowned in all seriousness as he found the boy looked him full in theeyes without a quiver of the lid.
"Humph! So you, my page, consider it your duty to come and apologise tome for doubting my word?"
"Yes, your Highness, and to ask your forgiveness."
"And suppose I refuse to give it to so bold and impudent a boy, whatthen?" and he gazed hard once more in the lad's flushing face.
"I should be very, very sorry, sir; for you and the Princess have beenvery good and kind to my poor mother and me."
"Yes, yes," said the Prince, "too kind, perhaps, to have such a returnas--"
He stopped short as he saw a spasm contract the boy's features.
"But there," he continued, "you are not to blame, and I do forgive you,boy. I liked the bold, brave way in which you showed your belief inyour father."
Captain Murray darted a quick glance at his young companion, as much asto say, "I told you so."
"Go on, my boy, as you have begun, and you will make a firm, strong,trustworthy man; and, goodness knows, we want them badly enough. There,I will not say any more--yes, I will one word, my boy. I am sorry thatyour father was not recalled some time back. He was a brave soldier,for whom I felt respect."
Frank could bear no more, and he bent his head to conceal the workingsof his face.
"There, take him away, Murray, and keep him under your eye. There'sgood stuff in the boy, and we must get him a commission as soon as he isold enough."
"No, your Highness," said Frank, recovering himself.
"Eh? What?"
"I came to beg your Royal Highness's pardon, and to ask your permissionfor my mother and me to leave the royal service at once. We both feelthat it is not the place for us now."
"Humph!" ejaculated the Prince, frowning; "and I think differently.Take him away, Murray; the boy is hurt--wounded now.--That will do,Gowan; go. No: I refuse absolutely. The Princess does not wish LadyGowan to leave; and _I_ want _you_."
"There!" cried Captain Murray, as they crossed the courtyard on theirway back to the officers' quarters; "it is what I expected of thePrince. You can't leave us unless you run away, Frank; and you'veproved yourself too much of a gentleman for that. You see, everybodywants you here."
Frank could not trust himself to speak, for he was, in spite of histroubles, some years short of manhood and manhood's strength.
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